In a painstaking process this alternate history storyline has been researched and is presented for your entertainment.
By using historical documents from the US Joint Chiefs of Staff we know exactly what the contingency plans were in the case of an expected Soviet attack in 1946.

Saturday, August 14, 2010

So all reports say that the British and Americans have run away and we own the continent.

Our units are proceeding cautiously and the NATO rear gaurd has surrended en mass. It appears that the evacuation was completed last night and early this morning. They snuck out like possums from a garage can. There are troubling reports however.

Yes and what are those?

Our people in England say there are no great numbers of Americans in the evacuees.

That is why we must proceed with caution but still proceed with haste in clearing all of France the then Spain of every American soldier. We cannot defeat their navies but we an defeat their armies and then prevent them from ever setting foot on the shores of the greater USSR. Once we clear the areas then we send in the commisars who will change their way of thinking forever.

The Americans never had more than 20 understrength divisions in Europe before the liberation. We can account for 10 divisions destroyed or captured so where are the other 10 and how many could have come from America in 60 days? That and were are they located are my main concerns.

We will catch them and put them back on their horses like Tom Mix to ride into the Western sunset

Friday, August 13, 2010

So that it the last of them mon ami. Now all that's left is for us to fade into the crowd.

No more British cooking to smell. That's part is fine with me. They are terrible cooks, no? Their idea of cooking meat is to boil it to death. My nostrils are still filled with the stench.

It is time for everybody to go back to your homes and wait for the call to play partisan again until we are rescued once more. Group A pickup your papers at the North exit. Group B south. Don't switch groups otherwise your paperwork will be useless. Go back to your homes and wait. Do what they tell you to do but listen to the radio broadcasts from England. The governments in exile will be working overtime to confuse the enemy. Just integrate yourselves as much as possible.

If asked where you were admit that you were at the front and were fighting for your homes. Even the Soviets should not be upset with that. Don't lie about your fighting. We have it on good advise that the average Soviet soldier will respect an honest answer and will recall how it was to fight for his homeland.

So far we have no indication that they will retaliate against anyone who is not German. We have no reports of abuse among the prisoners or civilian population. All of the British, American and German fighters who wished to evacuate have done so. The Soviets have no reason to abuse or harm you once you surrender. Again just tell them you were fighting for your homes and families and they will hopefully leave you alone. After all they will need strong backs to work in their factories and to rebuild their new empire.

They also need hostages. Don't be unrealistic and believe that you and your family have any meaning to Stalin. But you are what is keeping the Americans from using Abombs on the Soviet armies. More importantly they know this. They have every reason to keep you with your families and rebuilding their new empire in Western Europe. They need you for human shields and for labor. Their is no historic or cultural reason for them to abuse us.

Go now everyone, surrender and be patient and wait for the right moment to strike. I assure you it will come.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

We have landed in Helsingfors, or Helsinki for it's Finnish name. Given everything the Finns have had to get used to in the last week, I think having Swedish fighters landing in their airport was possibly the least worst. We had been warned that some Finns would be unhappy at seeing Swedes back in their country after it was part of the Swedish empire for so long, but on the contrary, they seem happier at seeing us that they were at seeing the Germans or the Russians coming west again.

We have our first sortie later this afternoon, we will fly patrol over the gulf and Helsinki itself. Apparently someone thinks our new J26's will do the job while the Finns concentrate on the front.

July 14 Supplemental

We are back from our patrol - WHAT A DUCK SHOOT!

I am an ace on my first outing! I have 2 MiG 3's, and 3 PE 8 heavies! 3!

It was almost murder, the fighter pilots could barely fly and there were so many in the sky we couldn't fire without hitting a red. We hit the bombers over the water in the gulf, they were still heavy with bombs and couldn't maneuver for anything. Coming from below and behind we were hitting their bellies and watching the fireworks. The bombers had teeth and Svensen got a fright when one of the red found his trigger.

Didn't do the red any good, Svenson blew him out of the sky before he could dump his eggs. After that mauling, the reds turned back. From what the Finnish ground crew said, it looks like we'll never have to buy another drink in this town again they are so happy!

I know intellectually, that the reds will get through, there are too many of them not to, and the pilots that lived will learn, tomorrow will be harder. But that is tomorrow.

It's all set 4 weeks from today we should have what we need. Everything should be in place. 52 P51s, 150 B29s, 2 Silver Plates and one Abomb. Target will be Leningrad. Now that the Ruskies have declare war on Finland we have the OK to take it out as a show of force of the Abombs power. We're going to send two Silver Plates but only one bomb will be dropped. One will be along for a training run. We'll use Sweden to refuel the fighters.

Sure seems to me that we should have a lot more pilots and planes ready by now.

The equipment is there in mothball as you pointed out but the experienced pilots are thinking about how to use the GI Bill. They are reuniting with their sweethearts, getting to know their children, reconnecting with their wives and thinking about on campus housing or getting an apartment, which car to buy etc. It's only +60 days or so since the Soviet attack. The vast majority of the experience pilots want nothing to do with war. Let the other guy who stayed at home and stole my girl do the fighting. Let the jerk used car dealer who stayed at home and made a fortune and who got my sister pregnant go over there. I did my part. Don't' worry they'll come around soon but for now we have to make do with what we got.

Well at least I'm glad that damn pit is up and working. What a pain in the ass. I guess it takes a lot of specialized equipment to hoist a 10,000 lb Abomb up into one of those modified B29s. I guess there building a few more around too. Top Secret, hush, hush and all that as to where they are put them in.

We still have only 7 bombs. Hardly enough to make a dent. Some of them probably won't even work. I guess they are real touchy.

What is holding up production?

It's the same story as with the Vets. All the scientists moved on to civilian jobs and the production facilities have been abandoned or converted to civilian use. It's just going to take time to get them all back up and running a full capacity. It's kind of strange...like Stalin knew just the right time to make his move. His timing was perfect.

The word is official...we will not be dropping any Abombs in Western Europe. I guess the philosophy is that we can't save em by killing them. Makes sense I guess. I know I'd rather be Red and Dead myself. Besides we'll beat em in the end anyway just like we always have. We'll just have to use more conventional means. Then when we get closer and within fighter escort range we'll start to melt their cities.

You know Bill this raid should be a good test of how they respond. I hope someone is taking notes. Say you better get off to your meeting. You got the target and the date...just make sure no other operation is planned anywhere near Leningrad.

It is about time I got back to work. Those Superior Tools don't sell themselves you know. Say are you interested in a left handed monkey wrench? I do have to make a living some way or the other.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

From the Personal Diary of General Aksel Airo

July 12th 1946

The Marshall has requested that I take a seat on the General Staff for this third war. It is a sudden change, having gone from a prison cell to a conference room.

My previous accommodation at the hands of the VALPO, I understand, is now occupied quite to my amusement, by the man who ordered me there. I'm sure Brusiin will enjoy his new surroundings and appreciate his amended circumstances.

As yet we are only able to determine the general thrust of the Soviet advance, it is aimed at Helsinki. The Russians have never been the most subtle of people, and it seems that this is no exception. Good news this far, members of the Swedish and Norwegian General Staff arrived this morning. We begin the meetings in the morning.

Not so good news, The Russians have made up to 35km in these first two days, at this rate they will be in Helsinki before we can mount a serious defence. Orders have gone out to mine every bridge in the Russians path and to start taking up railway lines. The Police are on full alert looking for Communist saboteurs. It is unlikely but we must not discount the potential.

The Army has been brought back to something close to a decent strength. It is hard to believe that just over a year ago, we had no more than 600 newly trained troops to chase the Nazi's out of Finland, now we are back to thousands, most not needing any more than bare refreshing. I have heard already that some senior officers are joking that we can only restrict training at the moment to the daylight hours, in some ways I am glad to hear that, but I fear we are asking a lot of the men already in the firing line to buy us further time, and many of those will pay a far higher price that I would hope.

I must go and read our current disposition and find the straw to cling to that will bring us victory, maybe reading the intelligence on the Soviets the VALPO left us will provide me with some comedy instead. At least the Marshall is positive, and so I must be too.

The first Soviet Air raid on Helsinki took place last night. The damage at first glance seems fairly significant, many buildings have been reduced to rubble, but the majority of the bombs I suspect were aimed at Suomelinna. The Port inspectorate will spend the rest of the day at least checking the docks for unexploded bombs and mines, but the main victims have been the fish in the sea.

Unconfirmed reports state that at least 8 of the Soviet big bombers were shot down, and many of the smaller ones, but knowing how the rumour mill works, it'll be one bomber shot down 8 times. Our Airforce has largely escaped, it seems the decision to disperse them and using those obsolete old British planes as decoys may not be such a bad idea. They don't have the armament to stop the bombers, unlike the others we have waiting. I have made a formal request for RADAR sets from the British but from what they have said, the chances of them being operational anytime soon to be useful is slim to nil.

On the good news front, we still have some of the German night fighters left here after the terms of the continuation war, and many of the German bombers Hitler left us are still operational. This is on top of all the Soviet planes we have from the Continuation war.

We have further good news, the Swedes and Norwegians have entered the war now. What that will cost us is yet to be seen, but I and the foreign minister are certain, it will be less then it would cost us from the Soviets had they not.

It was clear from the opening advances that the Russians felt the Finns would be unable to mount a defence against such irresistable force, certainly not on their own. The initial delays the Soviets suffered were symptoms of a series of issues that would plague them throughout the Northern Campaign.

While the Soviets clearly had superiority in numbers and equipment, the quality of the men and materiel sent north was severely lacking for example.

While catagory A & B formations were sent south, The Northern front, which was seen as a subsiduary front at best, would recieve Catagory C formations. The Catagory C formations were generally made up of those soldiers who had either been regarded as politically unreliable, unsuitable through fitness, (including a number of war wounded veterens used to stiffen the ranks), or mentally and/or intellectually unsuitable for normal army service.

There were also the penal battalions employed by the NKVD, although normally of the highest calibre in terms of fitness and training, being prisoners and treated terribly by their guards, their effectiveness was also minimal.

The majority of the Soviet troops also suffered from a perculiar lack of effectiveness for psychological reasons during both summer and winter, the endless days of the summer causing insomnia, hallucinations and mental breakdowns, while the endless night of the winder caused gloom and depression.

The effect of this on the Soviet soldiers was so profound and the increase in battlefield suicides so remarkable that an order eminated from the NKVD, that it became an offence punishable by summary execution, to fail to report when a comrade begins making suicidal comments.

The Finns on the other hand, their morale high, their motivation high and their confidence in their leadership, from the highest levels downwards also high, were able to make an impact in the Soviet offensive out of all proportion to their numbers.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

The Russians have made their move. While I am greatful that both the Swedes and the Norwegians have offered their help, I don't think it will help in the short term.We have at least cleaned out VALPO before hand, or I hope we have. I suspect only time will tell.

The Army are ready to fight at least and so far we have no word of movement from the north. Let us hope the Russians haven't learnt from the last two wars with us, although my prayers will be with the Finns left in Russian held territory.

We are lucky however that Marshall Mannerheim is still here, as a figurehead for the struggle, I don't think his worth can be underplayed. Even knowing what I do, I cannot help but to look to him for guidence. We will see how this plays out, but I am not hopeful.

The first assault, by and large has been a success. In a few places the Finns have resisted, but they are being pushed back. The NKVD Destruction units have been busy already, no less than 100 traitors to the Motherland have recieved the people's justice and I have approved the Commisars order to leave the bodies hanging as a message to any other Finns foolish enough to resist our liberation of them.

Rautjavi was the first town to fall, not a shot fired. The local Communists made themselves known and have greatly eased our passage. Laikko fell after brief fighting and scores of villages along the border have been returned to the Motherland.

Nothing of any real importance has not yet been taken and my comprehensive plan as yet remains intac

Monday, August 9, 2010

"The contrast between silence and sound, between night and day, between heaven and hell was heralded by the shrill siren call of the incomming artillery.

Those of us that had fought in the Winter war and the Continuation war knew what it meant, but too many of the youngsters did not. In our company, we lost maybe 15 dead and the same wounded in that first bombardment. Even having been through it before, the flash, crash and hammer blows of those shells landing never seemed less terrifying and felt like it went on forever. As NCOs and veterens, we had to keep everyone sharp, for we knew, the moment the artillery stopped, the Russians would advance.

As it happened, the Russians didn't think too clearly about that. Their General at the time, Lopatin, clearly had learnt nothing during the Russians previous encounters and was I suspect thank God, probably the most inept commander the Russians could have sent us. A massed wave attack against dug in positions with heavy machine gun and artillery support over broken ground. An American general once said, "there is no greater horror as a battle lost, than a battle won". After 45 minutes on that hill, he could have been talking about what remained of that Russian assault.

What struck me more than the sight, which having worked in an abattior in my younger days I was familiar with, it wasn't the smell, roast pork, feaces, copper, cordite and woodsmoke, but how quickly the crows came. Within hours a murder of crows, (how appropriate), bigger than I have ever seen, before or since, came and feasted on the dead and dying. We sent men forward to help the wounded that could be helped, and help those that couldn't, it was a job that lasted until later that afternoon when the Russians returned.

We lived that day and we knew we would carry on living, certain that the devil would not come for us, even his stomach would turn at what we saw in those opening days of the Summer war".

Extract from "The Fight That Lasted All Day - My life in the Summer Offensive" by General Yanni Grappaleinnen (Rtd)